Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 September 2012
217. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current waiting time for an application for mortgage interest supplement; the number of applicants currently waiting for their mortgage interest supplement application to be processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40333/12]
View answer223. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current waiting time for an application for rent supplement; the number of applicants currently waiting for their rent supplement application to be processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40339/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 223 together.
There are currently approximately 90,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement and 17,000 in receipt of mortgage interest supplement, for which the Government has provided a total of €487 million in 2012.
A key objective of the transfer of the Community Welfare Service from the Health Service Executive to my Department on 1st October 2011 was to provide a streamlined, consistent and enhanced service to the customer. The process of integration is on-going and significant progress has already been made with a unified service, the National Employment and Entitlements Service, now in the process of being delivered in four offices. The service provided in relation to processing mortgage interest and rent supplement applications is also subject to ongoing review.
The timescale for determining applications for rent and mortgage interest supplements is dependent, among other things, on the availability of the required information, such as details of the applicant's income, bank statements etc. In addition, some aspects of the application are inevitably time consuming and delays can occur where investigations such as home visits or third party evidence are required. Delays can also arise if the applicant is slow to respond to requests for additional information.
Statistics are not available on the length of time taken to assess rent and mortgage interest supplement applications or the number of applications awaiting a decision. The provision of a prompt service is a major objective for the Department’s staff dealing with rent and mortgage interest supplement applications. This is tempered by the necessity to ensure that every case is fully investigated and that all cases are dealt with in a consistent and fair manner.
I am satisfied that the Department’s staff dealing with these applications make every effort to ensure rent and mortgage interest supplement claims are processed in an efficient manner.
